Cleveland, United States - February 23, 2025 Cleveland Clinic Children’s overflowed with emotion as 10-year-old Ava Cooper, a brave girl awaiting a heart transplant, danced forehead to forehead with her father, Sean Cooper, in a tender moment that touched every heart present. Ava, who has been in the hospital for over 200 days, glowed as she twirled with her dad in a room caregivers had magically transformed into a dance hall just for her. Ava’s fight for a donor heart has kept her from her usual joys, like the father-daughter dance she attends at school this time of year. When a child life specialist learned of this, they rallied to recreate it for her. Caregivers adorned her hospital room with floor-to-ceiling heart-shaped streamers, twinkling party lights, and balloons, turning it into a fairy-tale scene. Her mom, Jamie Cooper, styled Ava’s hair and makeup to match her flowy pink dress, helping her feel radiant. Dependent on a Berlin Heart to pump blood for her fragile heart, Ava can only disconnect for 30 minutes daily. Her medical team carefully brought her to the dance space, where caregivers—more like family now—greeted her with warm applause. A music therapist curated a playlist of Ava’s favorite songs, and there, with a corsage from Sean on her wrist, she danced, her happiness lighting up the room. Ava cherishes the slow dance with her dad most of all. “My dad is like having the best friend a girl could ask for,” she says, her words full of affection. Sean calls it one of his life’s most precious moments with her, rivaled only by her birth. A grant supporting children with chronic, complex illnesses funded this special event, crafted for Ava’s resilient spirit. Born with multiple congenital heart defects, she underwent her first open-heart surgery at 6 days old and had four by age 5. In May 2024, a sinus infection escalated into heart failure, landing her on the transplant list. Jamie says Ava’s journey is tough, but her daughter’s strength endures. In that enchanted hospital room, Ava’s courage and her bond with Sean turned a dance into a heartwarming testament to a little girl who keeps glowing through every challenge.bv